How to order wine at a business lunch

The list ... Rockpool has 3000 bottles in its cellar. Photo: Quentin Jones

Making sure your guests are well watered, as well as well fed, is part of the art of being a good corporate host.

But what are the rules for doing so in the post-GFC era, where long lunches are in decline and corporate wining and dining has become less about bonhomie and more about business?

For those who choose to indulge in more than a glass, it's important to pick a bottle whose price sends the right message to guests.

For starters, well watered may mean just that: a couple of glasses of sparking water rather than the "bottle of white, bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of rose instead" that graced the luncheon table by default in less austere times.

“We see quite a bit of hosts not drinking but ordering for guests,” says Sophie Otton, wine director at Rockpool, where the 3000-bottle range is priced from $40 to $78,000.

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Half bottles and single glasses have grown in popularity and are a good option for parties whose afternoon plans don't include strong coffee and a snooze under the desk.

“Lots of people want to keep their wits about them,” Otton says.

“There are usually other meetings in the afternoon – people don't want to write off the day.”

For those who choose to indulge in more than a glass, it's important to pick a bottle whose price sends the right message to guests – that you, their host, are neither profligate nor close with the pennies.

Founder of IT consultancy 4impact Group Chris Eldridge says the sweet spot between over-the-top extravagance and looking cheap is somewhere between $40 and $70 a bottle for a regular meet and greet. If there's a deal in the offing, a win to celebrate or it's an end of year blow-out, it's acceptable to spend more.

“I try not to go too high or too low,” Eldridge says.

“You don't want to make it look like you're making money hand over fist. Spending a little bit makes people feel special but you don't want to embarrass them.”

It's a case of do unto others, Eldridge says, and when he's playing guest rather than host, unwonted largesse can be a turn-off.

“You need to look at the context [of the lunch] and see what value you've added to a person,” he says.

“If I think someone's trying too hard, it puts me off – I want them to be circumspect. I don't want someone to make me feel uncomfortable.”

Guest speaker and business consultant Michael Sherlock agrees. The former managing director of the Brumby's Bakeries chain is no stranger to breaking bread in a five-star setting but stays away from bottles with three-figure price tags.

“It has to be an exceptional scenario for you to do that – if there's some really big deal you're consummating,” Sherlock says.

“You can get what you're looking for without spending that. If you're educated on your wines, you can give someone the same experience without spending a fortune.”

Hosts who are out to lunch to talk turkey, not shoot the breeze with the wine waiter about vintages and late harvests, may find a little advance research a smart move.

Checking out the wine list online gives an idea of range and price and eliminates the need to plough through pages of choices when you could be focusing on your guests, Aria head sommelier Matthew Dunne says.

Lunchtime prudence notwithstanding, wine consumption is on the rise in Australia. We drank just under 30 litres each last year, up 20 per cent from a decade ago, according to research firm Ibisworld. Retail sales for the current year are expected to hit $4.35 billion.

Conservative spending may suit the zeitgeist but the arrival of the silly season, beginning with Melbourne Cup Day and ending about December 20, traditionally brings a surge of "more confident ordering", Dunne says.

This means more bubbly and higher priced versions of the default Aussie choices, shiraz and sauvignon blanc, with pinot noir and pinot grigio running close seconds.

Artisan beers such as Lord Nelson and Endeavour are also finding favour with the lunchtime crowd and are an acceptable alternative to cracking a bottle, Dunne adds.

Don't be on the nose

When it comes to ordering the drinks, a good host manages the transaction but offers their guests choice, says corporate image consultant Jon Michail of Image Group. His tips to make sure you're not on the nose:

1. Keep control of the wine list but ask others their preferences – for style of grape as well as colour.

2. Don't be tempted to start with a Scotch or something equally stiff – guests will brand you an alcoholic if they see you hitting the hard stuff before sundown.

3. Moderate your intake – two glasses maximum, even if the rest of your party is giving it a nudge.

4. Offer a toast once the wine is poured. A simple "cheers" will make the event more personal and convivial.

5. Order a big bottle if there's something to celebrate but never allude to the price. Guests can read the Grange label for themselves and feel accordingly flattered.

12 comments

One word to remember here... sommelier. I am regularly handed the wine list at restaurants, and while I know my way around a winelist I increasingly rely on the sommelier. They can be your best friend.

As pointed out, checking the wine list before you go is also a good tip. However I often find that these aren't up to date and/or don't list vintages (my pet hate).

In regards to price it pays to look at more expensive wines sometimes, as the mark up is often a lot less (particularly if it is a lesser known variety or winery) and thus they are better value.

Commenter

Jules

Location

Canberra

Date and time

December 06, 2012, 1:59PM

2. Don't be tempted to start with a Scotch or something equally stiff – guests will brand you an alcoholic if they see you hitting the hard stuff before sundown.

Silvia you may brand someone and alcoholic for drinking spirits before the sun is set but not everyone is you.

Commenter

Shane

Location

Morwell

Date and time

December 06, 2012, 2:00PM

In an article like this, it should be noted that contract law dictates that if a contract is signed with an open bottle of alcohol on the table (let alone being consumed), the contract can be found invalid.

Sign the contracts first before having a drink.

Commenter

ibast

Location

Prestons

Date and time

December 06, 2012, 2:08PM

What a load of rubbish, show me where I can find the appropriate legislation

So all those international agreements signed at a lavish dinner are invalid !!

Commenter

Bollocks

Location

Date and time

December 06, 2012, 4:41PM

It's not legislation, it's contract law..."Contractual capacity refers to the ability of a party to enter into a legally binding contract. Minors, drunks and the mentally impaired may not possess adequate capacity however the ordinary reasonably person is presumed by default to have contractual capacity."

Commenter

JayAnsett

Location

Date and time

December 06, 2012, 7:42PM

Thanks ibast, everyone is now dumber for having read that.

Commenter

qwerty

Location

Sydney

Date and time

December 07, 2012, 8:37AM

I am a Juris Doctor student who has recently finished my second trimester of contract law. Very briefly, the only case in which a contract would be rescinded due to alcohol consumption, would be if one party was so intoxicated that it would constitute a 'special disability' according to law, and that the conduct by one party was 'unconscionable'. Mere drunkenness is not a case for rescission, let alone having an open bottle of liquor on the table.

Check your facts.

Commenter

Frankie

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

December 07, 2012, 8:49AM

I am an ex commerical lawyer now working in wine. It is an issue of capacity and cleary ibast has none.

Cheers!!

Commenter

Best of Both Worlds

Location

The Cellar

Date and time

December 07, 2012, 10:08AM

As JayAnsett notes, it's not legislation, it's common law and it's been around for a few hundred years. It's seems there's a few so called experts here that need to go back and study their first year text books.

Any Judge or magistrate ruling on capacity it risking having their ruling overturned.

Commenter

ibast

Location

Prestons

Date and time

December 07, 2012, 11:54AM

Regarding the three digit price guide: if you go to somewhere like Wildfire, they will charge $100 for what retails as a $25 bottle of wine. Been burnt before.